On Real Estate: Rockford agents receive top honors, foreclosures down from last year

Two Rockford real estate agents were honored by the Rockford Area Realtors (RAR) Association for their accomplishments last week.

Bob Nieman of RE/MAX Property Source was presented with the Realtor Emeritus for his longtime service in the industry, while Prudential Crosby Starck Realtor A.J. Kordash was named 2010’s Outstanding Individual of the Year.

Kordash is a lifelong Rockford resident and a graduate of Rock Valley College. As a Realtor, he’s a member of the National Association of Realtors, Illinois Association of Realtors, has served on the RAR board and was co-chairman of the association’s political action committee.

Nieman is a Rockford native who earned a master’s of business administration from Northern Illinois University after serving as a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He began his real estate career in the early 1970s, and has run sales teams and owned his own company. In his 40-year career, Nieman has specialized in commercial and industrial listings, farms, land and residential properties.

Nieman and Kordash were presented with their awards by past presidents of the association, who selected them for their high level of commitment to community events and moving the Rockford real estate market and the association forward.

Nieman can be reached at (815) 229-3530. Kordash can be reached at (815) 519-1644.

Foreclosure rates down from last year, Illinois still ranks in top 10

According to RealtyTrac’s monthly Foreclosure Market Report, foreclosure filings increased by 1 percent in January, compared to numbers reported in December 2010. Foreclosure filings were attached to 261,333 U.S. properties last month, down 17 percent from January 2010. The total indicates that one in approximately 500 homes with mortgages on them went into foreclosure over the 12 months.

Statewide, 13,164 filings were included in the national total, ranking Illinois among the top 10 states with the highest foreclosure rates. Completing the list were Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, New Jersey and Utah.